Accessibility Overview

Accessible Design

Accessible design helps everyone, not just students with disabilities.

Here are some examples

• Captions that help language learners better understand complex text
• Video transcripts that are printed and used to take notes
• Audio versions that busy students listen to on their way to work

As the above examples demonstrate, accommodations intended for people with disabilities make your content more inclusive for all students. Following the principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL), they offer

• Flexibility in use
• Provide information that is perceptible in different ambient environments
• Create content that can be used efficiently

Consistent Organization

Brightspace is designed to give your site a consistent structure. You, however, control the organization of the materials you add.

Who this helps

• People using screen magnification who can only see a portion of the screen at any time
• People with cognitive and learning disabilities who need consistency to be able to orient themselves
• People using screen-reading software (opens in new tab)

Who this also helps

• People who are new to Brightspace
• People who are not confident using computers
• People who access their courses using phones and other devices with small screens
• Everyone who can more easily find what they need

Strategy 1

Provide clear instructions for moving around your course site, such as a Get Started announcement or widget instructing students where to go to find content.

Strategy 2

Ensure your instructions match the hover text (what you see when you hover your mouse over an element in the course) since screen readers use these labels to help students navigate.

Strategy 3

Any action should always result in the same reaction (for example, all links open in a new window, and Content modules all include descriptions and estimated completion times).

Design for Difference

Assume students have a wide range of skills, abilities, experiences, and personal situations. Flexibility helps by giving students choices about how and when to access learning. This may be as simple as providing videos and transcripts (multiple ways of accessing the same content) or as complex as self-guided course materials (allowing students to work independently).

Who this helps

• People with different learning styles
• People with cognitive impairments who need more time to learn and practice
• People who use assistive technology and may find some formats easier than others to access

Who this also helps

• People in different time zones who may access content at different times
• People with busy schedules who may need to work at odd hours
• People in noisy environments who may not be able to listen to something but can read it
• People who may prefer to listen to content while driving children to school or working out
• Everyone, since most people will experience a temporary disability at some point in their lives

Strategy 1

Assume a wide range of language skills. Define all jargon and acronyms. Add links to definitions and resources for students needing more information to grasp a concept.

Strategy 2

Caption or provide transcripts for all audio and video.

Videos must have captioning (opens in new tab) on them at the UArizona, which is great for various students, allowing them to access the material anywhere (even in noisy or busy areas). You can also create a transcript of the video, which can be made available as a link in Brightspace.

Strategy 3

Create a note-taking system.

Some students may need note-takers as a way to access course material. Instead of forcing these students to self-identify, you can upload your own notes to Brightspace, create a system to share the work of note-taking  (for example, you can create a discussion topic and allow anonymous posts, or provide students incomplete notes (e.g., skeleton outline) to fill in during class time.

Strategy 4

Record synchronous meetings and allow students to access them later. Build in ways of ensuring students have equivalent learning experiences.

Use Panopto to insert a quiz question into the video recording of the synchronous meeting. Or, if you use breakout rooms, tell students watching the recording to pause the video and participate in a discussion you have built into Brightspace.

Strategy 5

Set up a Checklist for learners to obtain extra resources, help, or course materials in a different format.

For example, for each week or major assignment, create checklist items that include text-only versions of the course material, an extra help discussion forum, additional reading material, and alternative formats for multimedia material. Set Release Conditions for the checklist items so the requested content is automatically released to those who need it. This option ensures that most learners access the material as you intended, but learners' needs are supported.

Offer Choices

Give learners choices about how to learn and demonstrate their knowledge.

Who this helps

• People with disabilities may not be able to access materials the same way other students do
• People with disabilities who may not want to self-identify as needing accommodations

Who this also helps

• People with different learning styles
• People with time and other constraints may find some formats more helpful than others
• People with a wide variety of experiences and skills they can bring to the course activities

Strategy 1

Think carefully about images. When you insert an image using the HTML editor, make sure the substance of the image is described or in the alt text.

Strategy 2

Provide alternative formats for activities. For example, if you use slides, make sure the content on those slides can be seen and heard. If you provide links to online videos, make sure those videos have captions or transcripts. If you use a video lecture, do not turn away from the camera if you have students who read lips.

Strategy 3

Use various assessment types, such as written, oral, and auto-graded. That way, you do not favor students who do well with one assessment type but struggle with others. You can also give students options in choosing their testing format. Work with a Brightspace consultant to set this up in your grade book.

Strategy 4

If you have assignments, give students options. For example, you can allow them to choose a topic that fits their interest or select a topic from a list. You can also give them options in choosing the assignment format. For example, you allow students to write an essay, produce a podcast, or create a blog. When you create a Brightspace Assignment, students can submit text, video, audio, links, images, and more.

Strategy 5

For more tips, Brightspace's blog, Learning Matters (opens in new tab), features a variety of articles on accessible teaching and learning.

Learn More

Take a self-paced tutorial on accessible course design. In Brightspace:

Step 1

Select the Home icon

Step 2

Select the Discover tab in the Navbar

Step 3

In the search box, enter Brightspace Creating Accessible Course Sites 

Step 4

Select Brightspace Creating Accessible Course Sites 

Step 5

Select the Enroll in Course button

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